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| Best WhatsApp Tips and Tricks for your Smartphone |
For
most of us, WhatsApp has become the default go-to messenger, because everyone's
on it, and it's on nearly every platform. WhatsApp has over a billion downloads
on Google Play alone, the only other messenger to boast that is Facebook
Messenger. The app has made itself indispensable by adding a browser version
and voice calling to its platform.
For
those who have to deal with the app on a daily basis, we've lined up some
interesting tricks and tweaks that will improve your user-experience.
1. Mute group chats and
notifications
Group
chat notifications can get noisy; they're best turned off when you have to
focus on a task at hand.
On Android
On
a group chat, tap the Menu button, and hit Mute. Then, choose the time-frame
for which you would like the group to be muted. You can also disable
notifications for the specified period. This feature is now available on the
web browser too.
On iPhone
Open
Group Chat, tap the group subject to reveal the Group Info screen, and tap
Mute. Now, select how long you'd like notifications to be muted.
2. Find out who has read
your message in a WhatsApp group
Read
receipts, marked by two blue ticks indicate that the recipient has read your
message. Find out who has read your message on group chats.
On Android
Do
a long press on a message sent by you? This reveals an 'i' with a circle around
it. Tapping on it will show you who the message was delivered to, and read by.
On iPhone
See
the Message Info screen by opening a chat with a contact or a group, then
swiping your message from the left to right to see delivery and read
notifications.
3. Disable media to save
on cellular bandwidth
WhatsApp
lets you specify what you would like downloaded on mobile data and when
connected to Wi-Fi.
On Android
Go
to Settings, Chat Settings, Media Auto-Download to specify when you want
images, audio and videos to be downloaded to your phone.
On iPhone
Go
to WhatsApp Settings > Chat Settings > Media Auto-Download.
4. Change profile photo,
status message from the desktop
This
new feature recently added to WhatsApp Web lets you tap on your avatar on the
left hand corner, to change your profile photo with a laptop camera or webcam,
or a photo on your drive. The feature also works with groups that you are an
admin of.
5. Disable Last Seen and
Read Receipts aka blue ticks
By
default, WhatsApp lets everyone know the last time you used the app. Your last
seen timestamp, profile photo and status message can be toggled between
'Everyone', 'My contacts', and 'Nobody' in Settings > Account > Privacy
on both iPhone and Android.
Read
Receipts, notified by those Blue Ticks can seem too obsessive and creepy. You
can disable them too, but that also means you won't be able to see read
receipts from other people.
6. Use WhatsApp Web if
you're an iPhone user
Apple
users cannot use WhatsApp Web on their phone without jail-breaking the iPhone,
but once you're past that, this jailbreak tweak on the Big Boss Repo on Cydia
enables you to use WhatsApp Web on your PC browser.
7. Send a broadcast
message
The
equivalent of Bccing your message, it's cheaper than sending a group SMS. The
replies from your broadcast will be visible only to you.
On Android
Tap
on Menu > New Broadcast, and select all the contacts you would like to round
up for the message.
On iPhone
Tap
the Broadcast Lists button at the top of the Chats screen, tap New List at the
bottom of the screen, filter from your contact list and then tap Create.
8. Migrate to a new
number
If
you've changed your SIM card, there's a way to import your account information,
groups and settings. Keep in mind that your old number will be deleted. Make
sure that your new SIM is active and able to receive SMS’s and calls.
On Android
Tap
on Menu > Settings > Account > Change Number and enter the old phone
number in the first box, followed by the new number in the second one.
On iPhone
Go
to Settings > Account > Change Number, Enter your old phone number in the
first box, and your new phone number in the second box.
9. Talk to your phone
instead of typing
Not
necessarily a WhatsApp tip, but if you don't have the time to type a message,
you can send a Voice message, or let Google's speech to text engine, embedded
in Google's keyboard do the transcription for you. iPhone users can press the
little mic button to activate iOS dictation feature.
10. Explore hotspots
around you
Tap
on the Send location icon in the attachment pane to explore interesting
hotspots around you. The map is a mash-up of Foursquare check-ins of places
around you. You'll find everything from local tech start-ups to restaurants,
marked as blue dots.
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